Marie returned to her sweeping, not even noticing as Akari snuck out in her sopping kimono. Having mopped up the water left on the floor, everything looked normal once again. She walked down the halls to the first floor, placing the used towels in the dryer. The landlord was speaking to one of the new residents in the front lobby, and she looked out the window towards the gates, smiling at what she saw. Remembering that she had a new recipe from the previous night to try out, she hurriedly skipped off to the kitchen.
Lemon iced sugar cookies... I'm sure that Miss Magnolia will enjoy them, and maybe they'll make her stop chasing squirrels for once.
Gin watched as the ladybug flew off her arm, disappearing back off into the mass of primrose leaves. She was startled by a loud thump, turning to look just as a girl stood up off the ground, obviously having had a short and painful introduction to the wall. A sharp whistle caught Gins attention, causing her to almost get whiplash as she turned her head towards the noise. Her eyes widened as the boy she had seen earlier split in two, one placing a stick that smelled strangely of cinnamon on the ground as the other disappeared from her sight.
Oh, he must be able to make illusions as well. That explains the way he manages to get around so quickly. It's nice to know I'm not the only one, though he probably has more experience than I do.
Gin began wondering about the other residents of Primrose. What kind of yokai were they? How long have they been here? Even if she often could tell whether or not someone was a yokai, she couldn't tell what they were without peering into their mind. Looking into someones mind wasn't exactly pleasant, there were so many thoughts and memories floating around that it was hard to locate the knowledge that you actually needed, and often found something you didn't need to know. Gin had learned that from experience. She shook the thoughts out of her head, remembering the reason she had come out. Slowly, steeling her nerves, she made her way over to the two standing at the gate.
Bowing quickly to both, she looked between the two. The group of girls were still behind the trees across the way, and even if they couldn't see her, Gin still felt tense. She turned to the girl, who looked rather irritated, and nervously spoke up.
"Um, h-hello. Are you Kimiko? Miss Marie told me about you and some of the others here..."
Gin looked down at the ground, voice faltering as she attempted to complete the sentence. When she lived with her grandmother, she was always around people either older or younger than herself, and never had anyone her own age to speak to. The spirits often kept her company, idly floating around her as she planted flowers. Living at Primrose was going to be an entirely new experience, and Gin wasn't exactly sure she was as ready as the others living there.